History and Context
As the third-largest school district in the United States, in a city with legendary politics and politicians, CPS has a long history of federal, state, and local attempts to influence its educational outcomes. To understand math and science education reform as it occurred 2002-2008, one has to understand the big-picture history and context prior to 2002.
Key legislative and district policies set the stage. This section describes local, state and federal events across time with specific attention to local community control of Chicago schools, National Science Foundation programs funded in 1994 and 2000, and key district structural changes in 2002.
